LIST of MATERIALS and RESOURCES for Women Human Rights Defenders his compilation of resources for women human rights defenders at risk is the result of a research endeavor launched by the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) in collaboration with the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition, in particular with its working group on urgent responses. The aim of the compilation is to provide women human rights defenders with a reference tool of existing resources that may be useful to their work and to those facing risks.
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The compilation lists existing research materials dealing with the safety, security and protection of defenders, resources that women activists can consult concerning their wellbeing and self-care, manuals dealing with how to document and monitor violations of women’s rights and how to conduct trial observation, as well as manuals on the rights and mechanisms available to women human rights defenders at risk. The compilation also references materials that address specific themes particularly relevant to women defenders, such as sexual orientation, religious fundamentalisms and conflict.
Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
General information on WHRDs Claiming Rights, Claiming Justice: A Guidebook for Women Human Rights Defenders Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (2007) DESCRIPTION:
This Guidebook is designed to raise awareness and increase the understanding of the specific issues and situations confronted by WHRDs. It presents a typology of specific violations, restrictions and abuses that is aimed at helping women defenders identify the specific risks, violations and constraints they face in their work. The Guidebook also presents practical information on different mechanisms developed by the state, civil society, the United Nations and other regional human rights bodies to provide redress and remedy, and to protect women human rights defenders.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/resources.php
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Spanish / French / Thai / Arabic
Building Civil Societies: A Guide for Social and Political Action written by Homa Hoodfar and Nelofar Pazira and published by Women Living Under Muslim Laws (2000) DESCRIPTION:
This guide is organized in two sections: Part one presents the history of the WLUML Network, and examines and assesses various forms and levels of public participation for upholding and expanding social justice. Part Two reviews several methods used by social activists, including WHRDs, around the world, outlines basic principles for preparing and publicizing various forms of solidarity action, and evaluates the limitations and effectiveness of each.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.wluml.org/node/489 (English)
LANGUAGES:
http://www.wluml.org/node/512 (Urdu)
Available in English / Urdu
Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human Rights Defenders The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (2007) DESCRIPTION:
This resource book provides an overview of the situation of HRDs in the countries in the region and features several articles relevant to the work of HRDs and WHRDs, including articles focusing on security management, trauma and coping strategies, and campaigning tools. The resource book also offers an overview of the situation of WHRDs in the East and Horn of Africa and the challenges faced by those defending sexual minorities.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.defenddefenders.org/documents/Defending%20Human%20Rights%20-%20A%20Resource%20Book.pdf
LANGUAGES:
Available in English
Safety, Security & Protection Protection Manual for Human Rights Defenders written by Enrique Eguren of Peace Brigades International, European Office (PBI BEO) and published by Front Line International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (2005) DESCRIPTION:
This manual provides activists with tools to improve their knowledge of security and protection. Topics include: assessing risks, evaluating threats, analyzing security incidents, preventing and reacting to attacks and developing a security plan. The manual dedicates a chapter to the specific security needs of women human rights defenders.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/manuals/protection
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Portuguese / French / Spanish / Arabic / Indonesian / Russian / Farsi
AWID Association for Women's Rights in Development
WHRD Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
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List of materials and resources for WHRDs
New Protection Manual for Human Rights Defenders (3rd Edition) researched and written by Enrique Eguren and Marie Caraj and published by Protection International (2009) DESCRIPTION:
This new manual provides human rights defenders with additional knowledge and tools on security and protection. It is intended to help defenders to carry out their own risk assessments and define security rules and procedures.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.protectionline.org/New-Protection-Manual-for-Human.html
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / French / Spanish. It is also being translated into other languages by Protection International. (To read the report in different languages, you have to access it through the corresponding language version of the website)
Protection Handbook for Human Rights Defenders edited by Arnold Tsunga, Executive Director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, and published by Front Line International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (2007) DESCRIPTION:
This handbook summarizes and adapts the Protection Manual referred to above in a compact form and provides practical advice and suggestions to human rights defenders on how to deal with threats, intimidation and attacks in their work.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/manuals
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / French / Spanish / Russian / Arabic (To read the report in different languages, you have to access it through the corresponding language version of the website)
Integrated Security: The Manual Project partners: Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation and Front Line International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (forthcoming 2010) DESCRIPTION:
The manual provides practical tools and strategies on safety and security for women human rights defenders. It defines the concept of integrated security for women activists and provides guidance for facilitating integrated security workshops.
AVAILABLE AT:
forthcoming
LANGUAGES:
Available in English
Digital Security and Privacy for Human Rights Defenders written by Dmitri Vitaliev and published by Front Line International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (2007, updated in 2009) DESCRIPTION:
This book is an introduction to the complex world of electronic security and is designed to strengthen knowledge and raise awareness about security issues for computers and the Internet. The book analyses security needs and vulnerabilities, explains methods of securing data and bypassing Internet censorship and provides a summary of different legislations around the world and the current trend to restrict and monitor information flows and communication. Finally, the book presents possible scenarios for dealing with problems of electronic insecurity and ensuring the continuation of the defender’s work.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/esecman
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Spanish
Security in-a-box: Tools and Tactics for your Digital Security Tactical Technology Collective and Front Line International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders DESCRIPTION:
This toolkit provides the required knowledge to recognize digital security threats as well as the necessary tools to address those threats. The toolkit has three major components: the How-to Booklet, the Hands-on Guides and Portable Security. The How-to Booklet identifies and describes risks and assists defenders to decide how best to reduce them. It addresses questions concerning basic security, data protection and communication privacy. The Hands-on Guides explain how to use a particular freeware or Open Source software tool and provide step-by-step explanations to assist defenders to use those tools. Software can be installed directly from the Hands-on Guide or downloaded free of charge from the tool developer's website. The last component, Portable Security, provides 'portable' versions of a few important Security in-a-box tools. These versions can be installed directly onto a USB memory stick so that defenders can use them from any computer.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://security.ngoinabox.org/
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Arabic / French / Russian / Spanish
AWID Association for Women's Rights in Development
WHRD Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
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List of materials and resources for WHRDs
Insiste, Persiste, Resiste, Existe. Women Human Rights Defenders’ Security Strategies Jane Barry with Vahida Nainar. Project partners: Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation and Front Line International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (2008) DESCRIPTION:
This report presents a compilation of security strategies addressing the specific needs of WHRDs. The compilation is based on over a hundred interviews with WHRDs from Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burma, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Montenegro, Nepal, Serbia and Tunisia. In the report, WHRDs speak from their personal experience about the threats encountered in their work as well as the strategies that they use to overcome those threats.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/manuals. The report is also available at http://www.urgentactionfund.org/index.php?id=144 http://www.kvinnatillkvinna.se/en/publications/reports
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Spanish / French / Arabic / Russian / Bosnian (To read the report in different languages, you have to access it through the corresponding language version of the website)
Wellbeing & Self-care What is the Point of Revolution if We Can’t Dance? Jane Barry with Jelena -Dord-evi´c. Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights (2007) DESCRIPTION:
Based on conversations with numerous women activists around the world, the book takes a look at the culture of the women’s movement. It discusses the need for women human rights defenders to make their personal wellbeing a priority and the need to think about the long-term sustainability of their work.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.urgentactionfund.org/index.php?id=157
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Spanish / French / German / Portuguese / Serbian
Self-Care and Self-Defense Manual for Feminist Activists Marina Bernal. Artemisa, Grupo Interdisciplinario en Género, Sexualidad, Juventud y Derechos Humanos and Elige —Red de Jóvenes por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos (2006). Published in English by CREA (2008) DESCRIPTION:
This self-help manual is a tool for women human rights defenders to get to know themselves better, make the most of their strengths, and reflect on their context and work while caring for themselves. The manual presents a series of exercises to build personal self-care strategies, a crucial step for self-defense against different forms of violence.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://web.creaworld.org/items.asp?CatID=2 (English) http://elige.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73&Itemid=98 (Spanish)
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Spanish
Trauma Healing & Transformation: Awakening A New Heart with Body Mind Spirit Practices Capacitar (2000) DESCRIPTION:
This manual includes a broad variety of wellness practices aimed at healing and transforming the experience of traumatic stress for individuals, grassroots leaders and other professionals. This manual is based on research and workshops with persons affected by natural disasters and political violence in Central America.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.capacitar.org/pubs/manuals.html (the book is not available on the website, but an order form can be downloaded from the website. Printed copies are for sale at 25USD including postage)
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Spanish
AWID Association for Women's Rights in Development
WHRD Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
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List of materials and resources for WHRDs
Living in Wellness: A Capacitar Trauma Manual Capacitar DESCRIPTION:
The manual provides simple wellness practices to assist people in dealing with trauma and fatigue. The manual can be used by individuals and groups.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.capacitar.org/pubs/manuals.html (the book is not available on the website, but an order form can be downloaded from the website. Printed copies are for sale at 20USD including postage)
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / French / Spanish
Emergency Response Tool Kit Capacitar (2005) DESCRIPTION:
This tool kit includes basic exercises to help people deal with the stress of challenging situations. Practices include: Tai Chi, Fingerholds, EFT, The Holds, Head-Neck-Shoulder Release, and Acupressure points for stress, crisis and depression.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.capacitar.org/publications.html
LANGUAGES:
Available in Arabic / English / French / Kinyarwanda / German / Haiti-Creole / Hebrew / Indonesian / Portuguese / Russian / Spanish / Swahili / Xhosa
Documenting & Monitoring Documenting Women's Rights Violations by Non-state Actors written by Jan Bauer and Anissa HĂŠlie and published by International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development & Women Living Under Muslim Laws (2006) DESCRIPTION:
For years, the accepted wisdom was that human rights principles and law applied only, or mainly, to the mediation of the relationship between citizens and the State. This view was held and promoted by, among others, academics, lawyers and jurists, as well as many international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and activists. This manual examines violations perpetrated by non-state actors and addresses how activists can document and campaign to address violence committed against women by non-state actors. The manual provides activists with additional tools in the struggle against impunity.
AVAILABLE AT:
Available to download and purchase at http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/publications/index.php?lang=en&subsection=catalogue&id=1740 and to download at http://www.wluml.org/node/519
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / French
Investigating Women's Rights Violations in Armed Conflicts written by AgnĂŠs Callamard and published by Amnesty International Publications and the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (2001) DESCRIPTION:
This booklet focuses on the monitoring of specific categories of women's rights violations. It helps the reader prepare for fact-finding missions, provides guidelines for the collection and analysis of evidence, and includes a checklist for conducting interviews.
AVAILABLE AT:
Available to download and purchase at http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/publications/index.php?lang=en&subsection=catalogue&id=1740
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / French
Documenting Human Rights Violations by State Agents: Sexual Violence published by Amnesty International Publications and the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (1999) DESCRIPTION:
This booklet focuses on the documenting of specific categories of human rights violations. It provides a definition of sexual violence and an overview of when sexual violence constitutes torture. The booklet also includes guidance for monitoring sexual violence, collecting evidence and how to prepare for a fact finding mission.
AVAILABLE AT:
Available to download and purchase at http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/publications/index.php?lang=en&subsection=catalogue&id=1740
LANGUAGES:
Available in English
AWID Association for Women's Rights in Development
WHRD Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
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List of materials and resources for WHRDs
Trial Observation Trial Observation Manual for Criminal Proceedings, Practitioners Guide No. 5 International Commission of Jurists (2009) DESCRIPTION:
This Manual provides guidance on trial monitoring missions for criminal proceedings, including how to prepare for missions, how to carry out trial observations and how to write follow up reports. It also provides guidance on the applicable legal standards for arrest and pre-trial detention and trial proceedings.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.icj.org/default.asp?nodeID=420&langage=1&myPage=Practitioners’_Guide_series
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Spanish / Arabic
Trial-Monitoring: A Reference Manual for Practitioners OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) (2008) DESCRIPTION:
This manual provides guidance on how to develop a long-term trial-monitoring program to support judicial reform at the national level. Although not a tool for monitoring individual cases, the manual discusses some topics that can be relevant for monitoring individual cases, including what issues to monitor through observation of cases, best practices for securing access to proceedings and case information and best practices for recruiting monitoring staff and for organizing public reports.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.osce.org/item/30849.html
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Russian
Rights & Mechanisms Human Rights Defenders: Protecting the Right to Defend Human Rights, Fact Sheet No. 29 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2004) DESCRIPTION:
This fact sheet includes an analysis of the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (known as the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders) and provides a description of the activities and methods of work of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FactSheet29en.pdf
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Arabic / Chinese / French / Russian / Spanish
The Human Rights Defenders Briefing Papers International Service for Human Rights (2009) DESCRIPTION:
A series of briefing papers that provide simple and practical information on rights relevant to the work of human rights defenders, including the right to freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, freedom of association, access to funding, access to information, and access to international bodies.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.ishr.ch/briefing-papers
LANGUAGES:
Available in English
AWID Association for Women's Rights in Development
WHRD Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
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List of materials and resources for WHRDs
Front Line Handbook for Human Rights Defenders: What protection can EU and Norwegian Diplomatic Missions offer? researched and written by Chris Collier and published by Front Line International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (2007) DESCRIPTION:
This handbook provides a summary of the European Union and Norwegian human rights defenders guidelines. It provides guidance about the protection measures available in these guidelines with practical examples for activists. The handbook also provides some pointers for defenders to engage with the European Union and Norway.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/files/en/Front%20Line%20Handbook%20for%20Human%20Rights%20Defenders%20What%20 protection%20can%20EU%20Diplomatic%20missions%20offer_0.pdf
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / French / Spanish / Russian / Arabic (To read the report in different languages, you have to access it through the corresponding language version of the website)
Thematic Sexual Orientation Written Out: How Sexuality is Used to Attack Women's Organizing the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) (2005) DESCRIPTION:
This book discusses the phenomenon of sexuality-baiting—“the practice of discrediting and controlling people, organizations and political agendas through strategic use of allegations related to sexuality.” It also includes an analysis of the political climate and the experiences of sexuality-baiting that women human rights defenders face because of their work.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/publications/written.htm
LANGUAGES:
Available in English
LGBTI Organizing in East Africa: The True Test for Human Rights Defenders Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights-Africa (2005) DESCRIPTION:
The report presents an assessment of the LGBTI movement in East Africa—the context in which sexual minorities are politically and socially excluded, the legal restrictions as well as the challenges and successes of the movement in the region. The report also shares experiences of activists from Southern Africa and presents strategies that can be used to advance and build the LGBTI movement in East Africa.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.urgentactionfund.org/index.php?id=156
LANGUAGES:
Available in English
Religious Fundamentalisms No Justice in Justifications: Violence against Women in the Name of Culture, Religion, and Tradition Shaina Greiff. The Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women (2010) DESCRIPTION:
This paper provides an overview of different manifestations of violence against women that are justified in the name of culture and religion. It argues that although culture and religion can be empowering for individuals and collective identities, they are also misused and allow impunity for perpetrators. The paper also shares strategies for combating cultural and religious justified violence against women and a number of recommendations for activists and other stakeholders.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.wluml.org/node/6073
LANGUAGES:
Available in English
AWID Association for Women's Rights in Development
WHRD Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
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List of materials and resources for WHRDs
Shared Insights: Women’s Rights Activists Define Religious Fundamentalisms Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) (2008) DESCRIPTION:
This publication explores how women’s rights activists from different parts of the world understand and experience religious fundamentalisms. It examines whether there is a useful and strategic way for women defenders to define this phenomenon and discusses the main types of fundamentalist actors as identified by women’s rights activists.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.awid.org/eng/About-AWID/AWID-News/Shared-Insights-Women-s-rights-activists-define-religious-fundamentalisms
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / French / Spanish
Religious Fundamentalisms on the Rise: A Case for Action Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) (2008) DESCRIPTION:
This publication discusses the negative implications of the global rise of religious fundamentalism for women’s rights, human rights and development. It also argues that fundamentalism represents a global phenomenon, which requires a concerted and consolidated global response.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.awid.org/eng/About-AWID/AWID-News/Religious-Fundamentalisms-on-the-Rise-A-case-for-action
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / French / Spanish
Conflict Rising Up in Response: Women’s Rights Activism in Conflict Jane Barry. Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights (2005) DESCRIPTION:
This book explores how women defenders respond to conflict, the barriers that women defenders face in their work as well as how conflict situations transform women’s activism. It is based on interviews with over 80 women human rights defenders from three conflict areas, the Balkans (Kosovo and Serbia), Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka. The book also includes recommendations on how to address the problems discussed in the study.
AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.urgentactionfund.org/index.php?id=82
LANGUAGES:
Available in English / Albanian / Serbo-Croatian (an Executive Summary is also available in English, French and Spanish)
AWID Association for Women's Rights in Development
WHRD Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
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List of materials and resources for WHRDs
his list of materials and resources for women rights defenders was compiled by Inmaculada Barcia (Consultant for this initiative) and facilitated by AWID as part of its work as Chair of the Working Group on Urgent Responses for WHRDs at Risk of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition.
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THE MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP ARE: Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) Amnesty International MADRE International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) World Organization against Torture (OMCT) Front Line Forum-Asia Baobab for Women's Human Rights Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS: Edna Aquino and Mary Jane Real (IC WHRD Coordinator)
AWID would like to thank all members of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition who provided valuable input for the compilation of this resources list. For more information on the International Coalition please go to:
www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org For more information on AWID, please go to:
www.awid.org image Š iStockphoto.com / Sunil Aggarwal